Composition road-surfacing and method of laying same



J. E. CLARK.

COMPOSITION ROAD SURFACING AND METHOD OF LAYING SAME.-

' APPLICATION map OCT- 30. 1914.

l V/TNESSES l/VVEN TOR.

Jwp M UNITED STATES PATENT F E JOHN E. CLARK, or KANAWHA COUNTY, WESTVIRGINIA, AssI Non r0 rm: CLARK PAVING CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK,

N. Y., A oo'aroRA'rIoN or DELAWARE.

COMPOSITION RoAD-sURFAoING AND win-moi) or L YING SAME.

Application filed October 30, 1914. Serial 801 869,484.

or warm weather or climates and which is" not subject tocracking-incident to vibration due to heavy trafiic and whose edges,when.

disposed adjacent railroad tracks, are so formed as to obviate crackingand deterioration incident to vibration caused by the rolling stock.

Another object resides in the provision of a pavement whose wearlngsurfaceis cushioned and whose cushioning means is supported upon afoundation layer above'the line of dampness with said supporting meansfor the cushioning means being constructed to provide for thecirculation of air and for drainage. 7

Another object resides in the provision of a flexible, noiseless,sanitary, moisture- I proof, dustless, and non-slippery pavement or thelike composed for the most part of waste products. V g Another object isto provide an inexpensive yieldable and durable pavement Whose wearingsurface is yieldably supported or cushioned and whose cushioning oryieldable supporting means is composed of waste material, and which maybe reinforced at points where subjected to unusual vibration as, forinstance, railway rolling stock, so as to prevent undue deterioration ofthe wearing surface adjacent the railroad tracks' A still further objectis to provide a pav ment embodying among other characteris' ticsstructural features which provide for drainage both from above and belowthewearing surface so as to overcome dampness and thereby obviate one ofthe seriousdefects or causes which attack and impair the life ofpavements.

A still further object is to provide a pavement or the like consistingof superimposed layers of fibrous material, one of which has a higherpoint of penetration than the other.

It is still further designed to provide.a pavement embodying layerscomposed of wastevegetable fibrous material with one layer composed, oflonger fiber than the other and supported over means providing for thecirculation of air and drainage be neath the layers, and with the layersforming substantially an umbrella over said sup-- portingmeans'toprevent seepage through thepavement.

With the above and other. objects and characteristics in view, thepresent inven- Specification of Letters Patent. Pateht ediDg'clQS, 192()I f tionconsists in the combination and arrangement of'materials :andelements hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims, it be-; ing understood that changes maybe made" in thematerials, proportions, size and minor details withoutdeparting fromthe'spir'it or sacrificing any of the advantages of the in vention,

In the drawings a F'gure 1 is a view of a pavement constructecl in"accordance with my invention,

tion.

accompanying drawings, the reference char- 'showingthe same partly intransverse sec N Fig. 2 is a transverse view of the curbacter l'ind'ic'ates the road foundation formed I in any suitable "manner,at-the edgesof which may. be'disposed curbstones 5. Each curbstone'iscomposed of any suitable mate rial and preferably 'provided'with a 10niv tudinal internal gutter 6 provided at its lower portion with apluralityof openings 6 ,which lead inwardly of the respective curbstoneadjacent the upper 1 surface of the:

foundation .1. Other openings 7 are formed in each curbstone 5 andextend from the reSPectiVGguttH 6 to and through theinner faceaof the'curbs tone above the aforesaid openings for apurpose presentlyexplained. I

Thecha'racters'a and 5 indicate railroad j rails which may bemountedupon the foun dation 1- in any suitable manner.) LayersQ' of brokenstone may be laid upon the foundation 1 between the curbstones and therails and between the rails. These layers '2 preferably consist of loosestoneswhose 1ntersticesor voids are preferably not filledso as'to permitthe circulation of air and the drainageof any water. or moisture whichmay find its way into the layers of broken stone. Drainage is permittedfrom the layers of stones through the apertures 6' into the internalgutters 6 and, by virtue of air passing through the gutters 6, themoisture is readily evaporated and an efiicient and speedy drying outeffected in the layer of stone if dampness occurs.

A layer 3 of fibrousmaterial is disposed on each layer of broken stone.This fibrous material may consist of straw, cotton stalk, sugar cane, orany other suitable fibrous material which is preferably shredded andlong in length. Before laying this fibrous vegetable matter, it ispreferably boiled or cooked for a suflicient length of time to render itsoft and pulp-like and is then subjected to the action of hot asphalt orbitumen to insure a taorough impregnation of the fiber with the asphaltor bitumen and thereby provide for an effective binding and preservationof the fiber. The material being impregnated when coming into contactwith the hot binder and preservative creates steam which arises from thesurface and pores of the fiber and facilitates the thorough impregnationof the fiber with the binder or preservative.

The denatured material thus formed and composing the layers 3 isflexible and prefer ably laid on the foundation 1 while in a hot stateand after being laid on the foundation and while hot, it is preferablyrolled by a steam rolleror otherwise and thereby compactly compressed onthe stone layers 2. Before the layers 3 are placed on the layers 2 thewebs of the rails between the base flanges thereof and the underside ofthe tread surface and also the inner faces of the curb stonesmay bepainted with bitumen r other adhesive material, with the result that,incident to the compression of the layers 3 on the layers 2 by therolling action, the edges of the fibrous layers 3 are caused to adhereto the curbstones and'to' the rails. The layers 3 include substantiallysixty-six and two- .thir'ds per cent. long coarse graded straw byweighttosubstantially thirty-three per cent. and one-third asphalt orother binding and preserving agent of preferably not less than fiftyfive penetration point.

Layers 4: of fibrous material are preferably laid on the layers 3. Thesefibrous layers 4: are preferably formed of the same material as thematerial of which the layers 3 are formed, but are preferably composedof short fiber, as distinguished from the longer fibers of the layers 3.This short fiber of which the layers 4 are formed is treated in the samemanner as the fibers of which the layers 3 are composed.

While the material is in a state of porosity,

'a sufficient amountof asbestos is added to render said layers 4 fireproof. The layers a cent. of asphalt to sixty per cent. short gradedfibers mixed with the fireproof material, the asphalt being preferablynot more than forty-one point penetration. By virtue of the long fibrousmaterial of the layers 3 come mushy and therefore d not lose theirrequisite cushioning effect for the upper layers 4'.

VJhile in a hot condition the surface layers l are laid on the layers 3and rolled. fireproof material also assists to bind and fill the voidsin the wearing surfaces 4 when the same is subjected t pressure incidentto the rolling operation. The rolling pressure on the surface layers &causes the short fibers of the same to fill the voids in the layers 3and thereby effect a firm and substantial looking or binding of thelayers 3 and at together which prevents slipping of the surface layers 4on their cushioning layers 3.

The wearing surface of the layers 4 is preferably disposed adjacent theline of the upper openings 7 in the curbstones so that drainage may bepermitted from the sur- .face of the roadway through the apertures 7into the internal gutters 6.

If desired, the upper surfaces of the rocks forming the base layers 2may be painted with bitumen, cement or other suitable material so as tofacilitate binding of the layers 3 thereto and, ifdesired, the uppersurfaces f the layers 3 while hot maybe likewise painted so as .tofacilitate binding of the surface layers 4 to the latter. In any event,the short fibers of the surface layers, and the painted solution, ifused, fill the voids, if any, in the layers 3 when compressed or rolled.

By virtue of vibration incident to passage of rolling stock overrailroad rails there is a tendency in concrete and other pavements tocrack along the rails. I overcome this objection in pavements byrendering the in- The termediate or cushioning layers 3 relativelyaccomplished is to provide metallic elements.

8 f any suitable character which are prefer ably embedded in the fibrouslayers 3 and which extend outwardly away from the rails slightlyv beyondthe point of vibration onthe pavement. I

Of course, where the pavement is laid in roadways over which railroadrolling stock does not pass, the layers 3 and 4 may be formed in sheetsentirely across the roadway from curb to curb and it will also beunder-' stood that instead of laying a roadway in sheets, the same maybe laid in block form and that the material of which the roadway iscomposed is equally applicable to the building or covering of walls ofbuildings.

It will be understood that, by virtue of the layers 2 being composed ofloose stone or rocks that they do not close the o enings 6"leading tothe gutters 6 in the our stones 5 and that if water, incident to frosts,rains, snows or the like should seep intolthe pavement adjacent thetracks, or curbstones,

such seepage and consequent moisture would or when moisture and waterincident to frosts, rains, snows, etc., is permitted to remain in theunder-surface of a pavement and therein mold, there is a consequentuntimely and undue deterioration of the pavement.

Under certain conditions pavements may be built without the layer base 2of stone. In some localities it is impossible to get gravel, stones orthe like except at great expense because of distance the same. must betransported. There are times when the traffic is 1i ht and the baselayer of stone is not nee ed, and furthermore, the curbstones may beeliminated. To this end the layer of long fibrous material may be placedupon the foundation 1 and the surface layer disposed on the layer oflong fibrous material. Especially where railroad tracks are c notdisposed in the roadway or street, and when the layers are built incontinuous sheet form, the very nature of the layers incident to theaforesaid treatment and method of laying one layer on the other resultsin the layers servin practically as an umbrella over the foun ation ofthe roadway, thereby excluding water incident to frosts, rains, snowsor. the like from the foundation and thus insuring dryness beneath thepavement.

What is claimed is:

1. In a roadway, curbstones disposed along opposite sides of theroadway, each curbstone having an. internal gutter provided with aplurality of openings which open inwardly of the respective curbston'e'uppermost openings -way.

and above the foundation of the roadway and each of which gutters alsohas a plurality of openings above the aforesaid openings and which leadthrough the inner side of the respective curbstone, layer of brokenstone disposed on the foundation of the roadway, and a layer of fibrousmaterial disposedon the layer of broken stone with the upper surfacethereof'below theHppermost openings of the curbstones whereby drainageisperm'itted from above and be low the wearing surface of. the roadway.

2. A pavement consisting of a'base layer composed of loose'rock, acushioning layer composed of long fibrous material impreg nated with abinding and preservative agent and a surface layer including shortfibrous material impregnated with I a binding and preservative agent,the whole being compacted together "under suitable pressure'so that theshort fibers of the surface layerfill the voids of the cushioning layerand lock the impregnated, fibrous surface layer and the impregnatedcushioning layerstogether,

the base layer of rock affording drainage, to-, ward both sides of thepavement from below the surface layer. v a l 3 .'In ,a roadway,curbstones disposed along opposite sides of the roadway, each ourbstonehaving an internal gutter provided with a plurality of openings whichvopen inwardly of the respective curbstone and abovetheffoundation ofthe roadway and each of which gutters also has a plu- I I rality ofopenings above the aforesaid open-f,

ings and which lead throughthe inner side of the, respective curbstone,a' layer of broken stone disposed on the foundation of the roadway,alayer of fibrous material dis' posed on the layer of broken stone,anda' surface layer of fibrous material disposed on the aforesaid layerof fibrous material with the wearing surface thereof below the k of thecurbstones whereby drainage is permitted from above and below thewearing surface ofthe road-v v 4. A pavement comprising alayer composedsolely of long fibrous material im- 5. A pavement consisting of afoundation,

railroad tracks on the foundation, layers of rock between the tracks andbetween the tracks and the side edges ofthe pavement, and layers offibrous material compressed on the layers of rockmateriaLLthe layers offibrous material adjacent the tracks being thickened. I

6. A pavement consisting of a foundation, railroad tracks on thefoundation, layers of rock between the tracks and between the tracks andthe side edges of the pavement, layers of fibrous materialcompressed onthe layers of rock material, the layers of fibrous material adjacent thetracks being thickened, and surface layers of fibrous material disposedon the aforesaid layers of fibrous material.

7. A pavement consisting of a foundation,

railroad tracks on the foundation, layers of rock between the tracks andbetween the tracks and the side edges of the pavement, layers of fibrousmaterial on the layers of rock material, the l yer of fibrous materialadj acent the tracks being thickened, surface layers of fibrous materialdisposed on the aforesaid, layers of fibrous materiahend means forreinforcing the first named fibrous I layers of material at theirthickeii'ed por-v tions.

8. A pavement consisting of a base material, railroad tracks havingadhesive material on the sides of the tracks, layers of fibrous materialbetween the tracks and on opposite sides thereof and connected to thetracks by said adhesive material, the layers of fibrous materialadjacent the tracks being thickened, and surface layers disposed on thelayers of fibrous material.

9. A pavement consisting of a base material, railroad tracks havingadhesive ma terial on the sides of the tracks, layers of fibrousmaterial between the tracks and on opposite sides thereof connected tothe tracks by said adhesive .material, the fibrous material adjacent thetracks being thickened, surface layers disposed on the layers of fibrousmaterial, and means for reinforcing the fibrous layers at theirthickened portions. 7

10. A pavement comprising a layer composed of relatively long gradedfibrous material impregnated: with a binding and preservative agent, anda layer of relatively short graded fibrous material impregnated with abinding and preservative agent, said layers being compacted togetherunder suit- 12. A pavement consisting of a base layer of loose rock, acushioning layer composed of relatively long fibrous materialimpregnated with a binding agent and superim posed on the layer of looserockin combination with a layer of relatively short fibrous materialimpregnated with a binding agent and fireproof material and superimposedon the cushioning layer, said layers being compacted together underpressure so that th'eshort fibers of the surface layer will fill thevoids between the long fibers of the cushioning layer and lock the wholepavement together. 7

In testimony whereof I aflix my signatur in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN E. CLARK.

\Vitnesses E. N. CRAIG, V I LAURA LEE LINDSEY.

